Court blocks feds on Rep. Jefferson's files seized in Capitol Hill raid

[DeepModem Mom]

Houston Chronicle/AP: Court blocks feds on congressman's files
By TONI LOCY Associated Press Writer
July 28, 2006
© 2006 The Associated Press


FBI agents load the back of a minivan at the Rayburn House Office Building "horseshoe" entrance on Capitol Hill in Washington after searching the congressional offices of Rep. William Jeffeson, D-La., in this May 21, 2006 file photo. A federal appeals court Friday barred the Justice Department from reviewing evidence seized in the raid. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Friday barred the Justice Department from reviewing evidence seized from a Louisiana congressman's office during an unprecedented FBI raid on his Capitol Hill office in May.

A three-judge panel ordered a federal trial judge to ensure that Democratic Rep. William Jefferson be given copies of seized evidence contained on more than a dozen computer hard drives, several floppy disks and two boxes of paper documents.

The panel said Jefferson then must be given the opportunity to invoke legislative privilege claims in private with the trial judge before investigators can review the materials.

The congressman must raise the claims within two days of receiving copies of the seized materials, the panel said.

Jefferson had asked the appeals court to stop the Justice Department from beginning a review of the seized materials by a special team of prosecutors and FBI agents while he appeals a trial judge's ruling earlier this month upholding the legality of the search....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4080327.html

[struggle4progress]

1. He gets two days to review a dozen hard drives for legislative privilege

claims?

[sleipnir]

2. I hope he has lot of people and a lot of coffee...

That is a rather absurd time frame, one would think that at least two weeks to review that amount of data would be more relevant.